Graham Spiers - 'Cowardly Rangers turn a blind eye to bigotry'

[Zappa 0]

From the Times online fans blog, written by Graham Spiers:-

 

Following Sunday's Old Firm game at Ibrox I find myself with a highly unusual dilemma on my hands, which is this: should a journalist report a supporter for indulging in bigoted or racist chanting?

 

Since the tousy affair at Ibrox, which Rangers won 2-1, I have received a number of e-mails from people after I mentioned in my column yesterday in The Times that a Rangers supporter sitting directly behind me in the main stand at Ibrox had twice bawled "F*ck the Pope" during some of the home supporters' communal singing.

 

Bigoted chanting is an old sore with Rangers FC and its support, and the club makes weekly tannoy requests urging fans to report other supporters who indulge in such antics. Rangers even advertise a telephone number by which supporters can file such complaints with details (where the offender sits, etc). As you can imagine, the so-called "grassing" hotline is hardly popular among those Rangers diehards, for whom songs about Popes, ******s and the rest of it is both a right and a privilege.

 

But journalists getting involved? It is one thing for someone in my position to report it and comment on it, but quite another to wade in and become an active participant. And yet more than one correspondent has written to me since Sunday and said something such as: "Go on then Graham ... let's see if you've got the guts to do it."

 

In fact, Sunday at Ibrox was no exceptional symptom of the Old Firm's bigotry problem - that is, if you are used to these things and simply accept that the droning choristers will not be able to help themselves. And in this regard, Rangers as a club are between a rock and a hard place.

 

Uefa has already punished Rangers for the bigoted antics of its supporters in 2006, an episode which proved excruciating for the club's directors. Yet since then, while some of Rangers' efforts to cure the problem have definitely slackened off, more and more people are commenting that the old Ibrox ills are creeping back. The Rangers pre-match anthem, Simply the Best, is now embarrassingly hijacked by throngs of supporters, who apply their own offensive lyric to the tune, as was the case once more on Sunday.

 

In my own specific experience on Sunday, a Rangers fan sitting behind my press position in the main stand was chanting so loudly and excitedly - and offensively - that it simply became a distraction. It was also quite sad when I turned round to look at him: he was youngish, maybe 18 or 19, and highly animated by events on the pitch, and in every other way quite a respectable-looking bloke.

 

It always comes back to the same dilemma: what can be done? Thousands of Rangers fans on Sunday afternoon repeatedly let rip with their popular refrain "we hate Celtic - f****n bastards", precisely the sort of language which caused Uefa to punish the club in 2006. Yet are Rangers, their stewards or the police supposed to wade in and apprehend hundreds of fans? It just isn't feasible.

 

Yet Rangers have gone mute on this subject, thanks in the main to local Scottish media pressure easing on them: not a cheep, not an utterance of condemnation from the club in recent times about such songs. Rangers are currently practising a cowardice on the subject which will once more return to haunt them. And it all remains cringe-making for those legions of decent Rangers fans who just wish the tribes of oafs in their midst would either be muzzled, or removed, or both. The club's image remains in the gutter.

 

I may or may not report my main stand miscreant to Rangers. In all honesty, I'm loath to. And in any case, the way Rangers are copping out of all this at the moment, would they be in the slightest bit interested?

 

 

Can someone please knock this guy out & tell him to STFU ?

[Bluedell 5,329]

He's a f****** hypocrite.

 

No, it's not one thing to report it and another to become an active participant. He's not got the courage of his convictions and wants others to do his dirty work.

[Zappa 0]

It's gone way past the stage of him embarrassing himself. If he keeps it up he'll be laughed out of journalism. Fingers crossed.

[Big Spliff 0]

Like it or not, he made trouble for us before and he's clearly intent on causing further embarrassment to Rangers FC.

[Zappa 0]

Like it or not, he made trouble for us before and he's clearly intent on causing further embarrassment to Rangers FC.

It is a worry. He's clearly only reminding the legions of 'TGFITW' that their duty is to bombard the authorities with complaints. There's absolutely no other reason for writing what he has. This is a man that will be laughing his ass off if Rangers get docked points in the league or hit with sanctions & there's no stopping him other than showing him up for what he is & hoping that he'll write his way into a hole too deep to clamber out of.

[andy steel 0]

Firstly, I don't think there's any chance of points deduction. Outwith the wildest dreams of a 20/20 MD addled Tim, that is. The progress that has been made on this subject is protection against any such sanction; in business terms, we can show due dilligence.

 

Secondly, and this is the tricky bit, how do we eradicate the ammunition? I'm perfectly happy to use the word ****** in regard to Celtic fans - just because they consider it sectarian doesn't mean it is so. It's the references to the Pontiff which are indefensible in a football context. Doesn't matter if every tim fetches up at the next OF game dressed as a bishop, we absolutely have to ignore it.

 

There's no defence is law, in this day and age. And bluntly, there's no defence in morality either. Regardless of how you or I view the current Vicar of Rome, and I must say I don't regard him with a kindly eye, he's got nowt to do with us. Let them wrap themselves in the cloak of catholicism if they wish; it's a dying religion, in a world of dying religions. Concentrate on their cretinous obsession with the Emerald Isle, concentrate on their unattractive personal habits, concentrate on their aversion to basic education.

 

There's 1001 areas where we can twist the kinife in timmy. The pope has to be one area we leave well enough alone.

[Wija 0]

1/ Why is he allowed into Ibrox?

 

2/ Why, if we have to let the rabid little runt in, does he not get sat in the middle of the Scum fans?

 

Or to be fair my preferred option - someone please double tap this arsehole in the back of the nut.

[Super_Ally 0]

Why is he allowed a platform to peddle his bullshit.

 

The "sectarianism issue" is only as big as they make out in their warped little minds. In reality it is tiny.

 

Scottish society could move on, progress and would be in a far better state if this giant c.unt of a man was not allowed to hold it back.

 

I would laugh my ass off if he got a severe beating and ended up in a&e or worse. That's not a threat, I just wish he would get his!

 

Edit: Forgot to add, implied threats to Nacho etc is not worse than someone using bad words? Come on now, this is a fucking farce.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Super_Ally

[Zappa 0]

1/ Why is he allowed into Ibrox?

I'd presume that he's still allowed in for several reasons:-

 

• Keep your enemies close. (not really working to our benefit in this case though)
  
• The club doesn't actually have grounds to ban him unless they somehow make it an official legal matter.
  
• Banning him would not only appear rather petty, but very undignified.
  
• Spiers is ultimately making the issue out to be far more of a problem than it really is. He'd be offended if you called his luxury car a luxury car.
  

 

What really gets up my nose is that these smart ass Journos are getting into Ibrox free of charge. Even if their companies are paying, the individuals won't be spending a dime.

 

Finally, if Spiers is so heavily offended by what Rangers fans sing, why turn up at Ibrox? Is it the free ride, the free food & drink or is he just looking for ammunition to reload his gun?

[Super_Ally 0]

The club doesn't actually have grounds to ban him unless they somehow make it an official legal matter.

 

Do we need "grounds"? Can't they just say he's persona non grata. Surely it's a private building or event or whatever and they can refuse him entry with absolutely f.a. grounds at all.